


Five Howlers

by hopingforaword



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Gossip, HP: EWE, Hogwarts Eighth Year, M/M, The Daily Prophet, gay!harry, howlers, quick fic, wrote this in an hour off the inspiration "howler"
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-11
Updated: 2018-02-11
Packaged: 2019-03-16 19:53:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13643322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopingforaword/pseuds/hopingforaword
Summary: Harry didn’t know how the Prophet had gotten their hands on it, but there was no denying it was there on the first social page: a picture of Harry entering a Muggle club.





	Five Howlers

**Author's Note:**

> This is for [Potterversenet's](http://potterversenet.tumblr.com) [public February event](http://potterversenet.tumblr.com/tagged/pvn-public-feb-%2718). I thought Howlers were a cool object that do not get the page time they deserve, so here we are.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione had been back at Hogwarts for two weeks when the first picture appeared in the Daily Prophet. Harry didn’t know how the Prophet had gotten their hands on it, but there was no denying it was there on the first social page: a picture of Harry entering a Muggle club. He shrugged it off, not even bothering to read the accompanying seventy five word article. It was simply proof that he wasn’t some golden boy, going straight home after the Ministry meetings he spent his entire summer in and sleeping until the next one.

When the mail arrived the next day, Harry paled when he saw a scarlet envelope drop from his new owl, Withers, to the table in front of him. He looked at Ron and Hermione, who both shrugged, and tore it open.

“HARRY JAMES POTTER,” yelled Mrs. Weasley’s voice from the Howler, “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU WOULD DO SOMETHING SO RECKLESS AS GOING TO A MUGGLE CLUB  WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE. MERLIN KNOWS WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED TO YOU IN THERE.” By this point, most of the school was staring at Harry and Mrs. Weasley’s Howler. “YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE TAKING PRECAUTIONS. WHAT IF THERE HAD BEEN AN UNARRESTED DEATH EATER OR A SYMPATHIZER IN THERE, HOPING THAT YOU WOULD TURN UP AT A MUGGLE CLUB? DON’T YOU EVER THINK THESE THINGS THROUGH?” The Howler turned slightly, and Harry realized a second too late that it was poised to yell at Ron and Hermione. “AND YOU TWO. ARE YOU HONESTLY SO CAUGHT UP IN EACH OTHER THAT ONE OF YOU COULDN’T ACCOMPANY HIM? HE’S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LEFT ALONE! I’M DISAPPOINTED IN ALL THREE OF YOU.” The letter disintegrated, and Ron stared at it. 

“It’s not even my fault!” he squawked. “You said you didn’t want any company!”

“I know,” Harry said, “Your mum’s just looking out for my safety. Should I write back to her? What do I say?”

Hermione shrugged and said, “Let’s just hope the Prophet doesn’t have more photos of you from this summer.”

Two days later, Hermione’s hopes were dashed. Harry had made a habit of turning to the social pages to check for his own face and name, and there he was. Under the headline, “Chosen One Gay?” was a picture of Harry leaving the same club with a brunette man, and then two pictures of Harry leaving a gay Muggle club with two different men. 

Harry was braced for it the next day. Mrs. Weasley’s Howler landed and he opened it immediately, sitting back in his chair, intrigued as to what Molly would say about this recent development.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU TELL ANY OF US?” her voice asked, completely skipping a greeting, “WE LOVE YOU HARRY. IT WOULDN’T HAVE MADE A DIFFERENCE TO US! WE’RE JUST UPSET THAT WE DIDN’T KNOW. I WOULDN’T HAVE BEEN SO DEVASTATED WHEN YOU AND GINNY BROKE UP IF I KNEW!” At almost the other end of the table, Harry saw Ginny roll her eyes, wink at him, and kiss Luna, who had taken to sitting by her girlfriend’s side more often than sitting at her own table. “WE LOVE YOU HARRY, AND WE WANT YOU TO FEEL SAFE.” The Howler disintegrated.

“Why does every single one of your mother’s emotions manifest as anger?” Harry asked Ron as Harry picked up a piece of toast. 

Ron shrugged. “She worries a lot. I think she gets angry so she doesn’t have to deal with being afraid.” He looked at Hermione for approval, to find that Hermione’s mouth was open in shock. She quickly composed herself.

“Very insightful, Ron. I’m proud.” She kissed him on the cheek, then turned to Harry. “My parents are like that too sometimes.”

Harry ran his hand over his forehead and into his hair. “God I miss being an orphan.” Hermione and Ron laughed as they continued to eat their breakfast.

A month later, Harry’s name appeared yet again in the social pages. This time the headline read, “Master of Death Dating Former Death Eater?” His stomach turned as he saw pictures of him and Draco Malfoy leaving a club together, and then several pictures of Draco leaving his flat, and one of him kissing Draco goodbye. He looked over at the Slytherin table, where Draco was looking at him. Draco shrugged and smiled. Harry copied the gesture, then mouthed back, “At least we don’t have to hide now.” Draco nodded and turned back to his breakfast.

Mrs. Weasley was clearly incensed by this newest gossip, because her third Howler of the term arrived during lunch. “YOU’RE DATING MALFOY? HOW COULD YOU BETRAY OUR FAMILY THIS WAY HARRY? AND WITHOUT TELLING US! I DON’T KNOW WHO YOU ARE ANYMORE, AND I DON’T KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT! WILL I WAKE UP TOMORROW MORNING TO INTIMATE PICTURES OF YOU AND DRACO ON THE FRONT PAGE OF THE PROPHET? I CERTAINLY HOPE NOT, BUT AT THIS POINT, ANYTHING SEEMS POSSIBLE!” The Howler disintegrated, and Harry stood up.

“Where are you going?” Hermione asked.

“To put a stop to all of this,” Harry said, walking off to Gryffindor tower.

The editor in chief of the Daily Prophet received lots of mail, but Howlers usually went to lower staff, so when a Howler appeared on her desk, she was very intrigued. She opened it, and was surprised when it began in a calm tone. “Dear Madam Editor, I know you have lots of work to do, but I wanted to inform you that I am displeased. Your newspaper has been publishing photographs of and articles about me for almost two months now without my permission. While reprehensible, I have been able to withstand it because I have received this treatment since before I can remember. The thing that infuriates me,” the letter’s volume grew slightly, “is that you have the NERVE to publish ANYTHING about me and my boyfriend. IF I EVER SEE ANYTHING ABOUT US AGAIN BEFORE IT IS RUN BY AND SIGNED OFF ON BY BOTH OF US, YOU WILL NEVER WORK ANOTHER DAY IN ENGLAND. Sincerely, Harry James Potter.” The Howler disintegrated, and the editor in chief began drafting a memo to the social department, desperately hoping to pull the story on whether Harry was a top or bottom before publication the next day.

Mrs. Weasley was surprised to see one of the Hogwarts school owls arrive carrying a Howler. She opened it carefully. “Mrs. Weasley, I love you,” Harry’s voice echoed through the kitchen, “But you need to STOP. I GET ENOUGH ATTENTION AT HOGWARTS AS IT IS. I DON’T NEED YOUR LETTERS ABOUT MY LOVE LIFE GAINING ME ANYMORE STARES IN THE HALLS OR AT MEALS. I ATTRACT ATTENTION ALL BY MYSELF. I’m sorry I never told you that I’m gay, but I was still trying to figure it out for myself. I wasn’t sure what I was feeling. But I am now. AND IF YOU EVER INSULT DRACO AGAIN, WE’RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT TO TALK ABOUT. I LOVE HIM, AND THERE’S NOTHING YOU CAN DO ABOUT IT. Love you, Harry James Potter.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Check me out on [tumblr](http://hermionejeangranger.tumblr.com).


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